Monday, March 24, 2014

Fixed Mindset V/s Growth Mindset

A lot of people face difficulties in their life but from that difficulties the people who stood up and face the difficulties are the actual winners. Winners are not the people who never failed, they are the people who choose not to quit. Recently, a study was conducted on students to see how some students can do very well in their academics while some don't.A group of researchers tried it out on 5th standard students at first. They had divided the students group into half and they were given a puzzle to solve which was an easy puzzle. After they had finished solving the puzzle and everyone has solved it, the researchers said the first group of students that "You might be very intelligent to solve this puzzle.", at the same time the other group was said that "You have worked really hard".

After that, the 2 groups were given a choice to choose from, 1st problem was an easy one while the other was difficult. Most of the students which was from the 1st group choose the easy problem while the other group choose the difficult problem. After the evaluation of the marks on the basis of the solved problem the students were told to report their marks and the astonishing fact was that the students from the 1st group has shown a decline in the results to that of the students in the 2nd group and not only that, the students from the Fixed Mindset(i.e. 1st group of students) reported their marks wrong because they feel threatened seeing the success of others, while on the other hand the students from the 2nd group(i.e. Growth Mindset students) not only has done well as compared to their previous performance but they also had reported their marks correctly, because they were not having the fear of failure in them.This is where the concept of Fixed and Growth mindset came. Fixed mindset are the people who think they are intelligent, even if they are intelligent or not, but the fact is that they somewhat restricts their development of brain. They see efforts as something which is a waste of time and they see no point in making efforts to solve something, while on the other hand Growth Mindset people are those who see efforts as hard work and they try their best to get things done. Their intelligence is what we called a developing intelligence.

If you give a challenge to a Fixed Mindset student and to a Growth Mindset student, you will see that the Fixed Mindset student will try to avoid the challenges and the Growth Mindset student will not only accept the challenge but will try his best to complete it. Studies has shown that the first group of students has shown a decline in the academic as well as logical thinking process while the 2nd group of students has shown increase in their academic as well as logical thinking process. The following image illustrates the difference between a fixed mindset and growth mindset.

And this is how the Growth Mindset people brain works:

But, Fixed Mindset people can try to do what a Growth Mindset people do and with some efforts, they can convert their mindset into a Growth Mindset. Remember one thing, growth mindset people see failure as an opportunity and works hard to achieve their goal. For Growth Mindset people, intelligence is not fixed. It can rise or fall and that depends on how hard you work. If you follow what a growth mindset people do then you can also be a part of Growth Mindset and you will feel happiness in what you are doing.